Why Clinton Cares So Much about an Asian Island Chain

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is getting the U.S. involved in a
complex, international dispute over a chain of islands in the South
China Sea. China and nearby Asian states have long made competing claims
as to who controls the strategically located islands. Speaking at a
meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation in Hanoi, Vietnam,
Clinton said that the U.S. has a "national interest" in resolving the
issue peacefully. Here's what's going on, why it matters, and what could
happen next, according to key journalists and experts.

China's Aggressive Agenda
"For decades, China has sparred with Southeast Asian nations over
control of 200 tiny islands, rocks and spits of sand that dot these
waters," The New York Times' Mark Landler explains. "China's maritime ambitions have expanded along with its
military and economic muscle. It has long laid claim to islands in the
South China Sea because they are rich in oil and natural gas deposits.
And it has put American officials on notice that it will not brook
foreign interference in the waters off its southeastern coast, which it
views as a 'core interest' of sovereignty." (Are the U.S. and China making up?)

Clinton Not Taking Sides on Territorial Disputes, But China Still Mad "Clinton stressed," writes The Associated Press's Cara Anna, "that the U.S. doesn't support any country's claim
over the islands but her comments are expected to anger China, which
maintains it has sovereignty in the South China Sea, and insists on
dealing with the dispute directly with other claimants away from the
international arena." (As North Korea severs ties, is violence near?)

Building Regional Cooperation in Pacific The Wall Street Journal's Jay Solomon explains
the U.S. agenda. "The Obama administration is working to establish an
international mechanism to resolve disputes between Asian nations over
claims in the South China Sea," he writes. "The U.S., as a Pacific Ocean
nation and trading power, has grown increasingly concerned about the
competing claims for territory in the South China Sea. ... The dispute
has raised concerns that an increasingly powerful Chinese military could
seek to dominate Asian waters." (U.S. launches war games near Korean peninsula, but will they deter North Korea?)

China's Long-Term Naval ExpansionRobert Kaplan writes
in Foreign Affairs about China's generational, 21st-century goal of
using naval power and influence to expand its sphere of influence well
beyond East Asia. "China will project hard power abroad primarily
through its navy. ... China, owing to a 9,000-mile temperate coastline
with many good natural harbors, is both a land power and a sea power.
... China's virtual reach extends from Central Asia, with all its
mineral and hydrocarbon wealth, to the main shipping lanes of the
Pacific Ocean."

U.S.-Vietnam Relations Warming AOL News' Jonathan Adams reports
the upshot of Clinton's move. "Relations between one-time bitter
enemies are warming. The two countries are forging better ties, pushed
in part by mutual concerns over China's expansionism in the South China
Sea, as well as a desire to expand trade and investment. But Clinton
also raised concerns about human rights in Vietnam, highlighting the
sharp differences that remain between Washington and Hanoi's autocratic,
communist-party-controlled state, which sharply limits dissent."

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